Electromechanical device for controlling electric signals.



A. H. GAVEN.

ELEGTROMEGHANIGAL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRIC SIGNALS.

APPLICATION FILED PEB18,1,911.

1,082,880. Patented July 16, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

inventor Attornevs A. H. OAVEN.

NTROLLING ELECTRIC SIGNALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.8,1911.

ELEGTROMEGHANICAL DEVICE FOR 00 lnventor Witnesses Attorneys UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrio.

ALVA BIAYS GAVEN, OF YOUNGWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTROMECHANICA L DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRIC SIGNALS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Fe'brual'y s, 1911.

Y Patented .nn is, 1912. Serial No. 607,253-

To all whom it may com-emu Be it. known that I, ALVA H. 'CAYEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Youngwood, in the county of VVestmoreland and State of'Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Electromechanical Device for Controlling Electric Signals, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of this invention to provide electrically operated means whereby lampcircuits may be opened and closed alternately, to permit the lighting and extinguishing of the signal-lamps in a block signal system, through the medium of a passing car or train, wlthout necessitating the stopping of such car '7 the lamps to be lighted; and extinguished manually.-

Specifically, it is one object of the invention to provide electromechanical means.

whereby the signal lamps will be extinguished and lighted automatically, whereby agar-carried means for opening and closing the circuit will cause the actuation of the electromechanical means.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention resides in the comblnation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction scribed and claimed, it being understood that chan es in the precise embodiment of invention erein disclosed can be made within the-"scope of what is claimed without departin (from the spiritof the invention.

In t e drawings,-Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the electromechanical means whereby the lamps are immediately extinguished and lighted; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the structure shown in Fig. .1, parts being .broken away and removed; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the mechanism shownin Figs. 1 and 2.

In'the drawings, the electromechanical device, which is disposed at predetermined in tervals along the right of way of a railway system, comprises an electromagnet or solenoid 16, and an armature rod 18, meshing with a pinion 19, adapted to operate the oppositely disposed arms20. These arms 20 bear upon fixed terminals 21, interposed in a lamp or signalcircuit. Adjacent the terminals 21,. and disposed in a common are therewith, are other terminals 24 interpmsed in another lamp or signal circuit. Alternate terminals 21 are interposed in one lamp or or train, to permit' hereinafter dearms 20 Wlll close alternately, the lamp,

or signal circuits, the lamps in the circuits being lighted and extinguished, as their respective circu ts are closed and opened. The electromagnet 16 will thus be energized, attracting the armature 18, and moving the pinion 19.- .By this means the arms 20 are moved from one set of terminals, as for instance the terminals 21, to the other set of terminals as for instance 24, and by this meanst-he lamp signal circuit containing the terminals 21 are thus broken, and the lamps extinguished, while the other lamp or signal circuit is closed, and its signal energized. Thus one set of signals is energized and the other is deenergized, and vice versa.

The mechanism whereby the. erated, -will now be described.

Upon a [suitable support 27, is mounted a casing 28 "in which the electromagnet 1c is housed. The electromagnet surrounds a tube 29, equipped at its lower end with a cap 3t). VVit-hin the tube 29 is a stop ring 31, held in place by set screws 32, or by other means adapted to a like end. This stop ring 31 serves as an abutment for the armature the armature rod 18 being slidably mounted in the cap 30 and being operativelv connected with the armature the armature 33 is elevated, by the attraction of the electromagnet 16, the armature rod 18 will be elevated likewise.

The armature rod 18 is supplied adjacent its free end, with a rack 34., adapted to mesh into the pinion 19, hereinbefore referred to, the pinion 19 being loose upon a shaft 35, supported for rotation in the easing 28. Fixed upon the shaft 3?, to one side of the pinion 19, is a ratchet 36, adaptedto be engaged by a pawl 37, pivoted to the pinion 19, a suitable pawl-engaging spring 38, carried by the pinion 19, serving to maintain the pawl in engagement with the ratchet. 36. an insulating disk 39, carrying upon one of its faces, a contact plate 40, the arms 20 being secured to, or formed integrally with this contact plate 40.' The terminals 21 and 24 are mounted in circular relation upon the casing 28, oppositely disposed 33, so that when,

pairs of the terminals being adapted to be bar; an electron'lagnet within which the arcngaged successively by the arms 20, so as to open and to close the lamp circuits in the manner hereinbefore described. At this point it may be stated that the terminals 20 and 24, and the arms 21, may be positioned in any desired manner with respect to each other, so as to close and open alternately, the two signal circuits, the invention being capable of use in connection with many common and well known forms of pole changing switches.

If desi1'ed,.in order to maintain the rack 34 of the armature rod 18 norn'ially in engagement with the pinion 19,11. frame supported roller 41, seen most clearly in Fig. 3, may be positioned to bear against the armature rod 18, as the latter reciprocates.

The operation of the device, referring particularly to the structures shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is as follows: I'Vhen the electromagnet 16 is energized, the arn'iature 33 will be drawn upwardly, carrying with it, the armature rod 18, the rack 34- of which will meslrinto the pinion 19, causing a rotation of the pinion, the pawl 37 upon the pinion 19, engaging the ratchet S6, and cansing a rotation of the shaft 35, the shaft 35, in its rotation, causing a rotation of the disk 39 and of the contact plate 40, the arms 20 pf the contact plate moving, for instance, from the terminals 21 to the termi nals 24: thereby closing one and opening the other signal circuit. When the magnet 16 is deenergized, the armature 33 will fall by its own weight, and by reason of the fact that the pinion 19 is loose upon the shaft 35, the shaft, under such circumstai'ices, will not lie-rotated, the pawl 37 moving freely over the ratchet 36.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed 1. In a device of the class described, a rotatably mounted shaft: a pinion loose upon said shaft; a rack bar meshing into the pinion; an armature secured to the rack l l l l l mature moves; means for operatively connecting the pinion with the shaft; spaced circuit terminals; and means under the control of the shaft for bridging the terminals.

2. In a device of the class described. a rotatably mounted shaft; a pinion loose upon the shaft; a rack bar adapted to mesh into the pinion; an armature carried by the rack bar; an electromagnet disposed in operative relation to the ZI-Illlttttll"; pawl and ratchet mechanism operatively connecting the shaft with the pinion; spaced circuit terminals; and means under the control of the shaft for bridging the terminals.

3. In a device of the class described, an electromagnet; a tube located within the electromagnet; an armature slidable within the tube; a stop adjustably mounted within the tube and adapted to serve as an abutment for the armature; spaced circuit terminals; and means under the control of the armature for bridging the terminals.

4. In a device of the class described, an electromagnet; a tubular member mounted therein; a stop adjustably held within the tubular member; an armature mounted for reciprocation in the tube and adapted to rest upon the stop; a rack bar connected with the armature; a pinion into whic the rack bar meshes; a rotatably mounted shaft upon which the pinion is loose; pawl and ratchet mechanism operatively con necting the pinion with the shaft; 0. frame supported roller tearing agamst the rack bar and adapted to hold the same in mesh with the pinion; spaced circuit termina and means upon the shaft for bridging the terminals.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing k as my own, I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALVA HAYS (,AVEN. litnesses C. E. Sau'rn,

J. E. Lona.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

